Building structures



Jan. 15, 1963 A. c. OLSEN BUILDING STRUCTURES Original Filed May 1, 1953 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice Patented Jan. 1 5, 1 963 3,073,420 BUILDING STRUCTURES Anders C. @lsen, Mamaroneck, N.Y. Continuation of application Ser. No. 352,371, May 1, 1953. This application st. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 769,953

1 Claim. (Cl. 189-85) This application is a continuation of my application a Serial No. 352,371, filed May 1, 1953.

The type of wall or ceiling structure which comprises essentially a series of metal, gypsum or plaster board panels together with means for readily attaching them to a support, such as a series of aligned vertical studs or the overhead beams of a room, is used to an increasing extent because of its many advantages, including low cost,

fireproof nature and the ability of the builder to erect or dismantle it quickly. The present invention relates to such a structure and its purpose is to provide an improved means for the attachment of the panels to the supporting studs or rafters of the room in which the structure is used whereby assembly is facilitated, rigidity of construction promoted, and a finished wall or ceiling surface of improved appearance realized.

In the erection of such a wall or ceiling covering it is preferred to employ stiff, self-sustaining, fireproof panels and to provide means for rigidly securing these panels in position without the aid of nails, screws or other means for penetrating the panels, the panel margins in effect being clamped to the rigid supporting structure. The clamping means usually include securing devices which should preferably be concealed from view and should be of such character as to permit the ready attachment of panels which vary substantially in thickness. The present invention includes such an attachment means and a preferred form thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows, in perspective, a portion of a vertically extending stud of a wall structure, with portions of two panels to be attached thereto and the several parts of the panel securing means in disassembled relation, all portions of the structure being partially broken away to facilitate clarity of illustration;

FlGURE 2 is a horizontal section through a Wall stud showing portions of four panels attached thereto, and the associated securing devices;

FIGURE 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse section through two members of the panel securing means, just prior to the assembly of these members; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse section through a stud or joist with which the improved panel securing means is employed, showing the ability of the panel securing means to hold in position panels of greater thickness than those shown in the preceding figures of the drawings.

The supporting members to which the wall or ceiling covering is attached may vary widely without departure from the invention. I prefer to use, in the erection of a wall structure, a metallic stud it of Z-shaped cross section, substantially as disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 45,595, this type of support being particularly useful where an entire partition, to have two series of panels arranged in parallel planes, is to be erected. Where a covering of the built-up panel type is to be applied to a ceiling or wall structure which has been previously erected a channel shaped stud or joist member, preferably of sheet metal, may be employed, such for instance as the channel member 11 shown in FIGURE 5 of the drawings. Channel member 11 has marginal flanges 12 which are adapted to be secured in any suitable manner to a wall or ceiling structure such as generally indicated at 13.

lid

In the case of the Z-shaped stud it) the parallel flanges 18a and 161) are provided with vertical slots 14. Securing devices, indicated generally at S in FIGURES l, 2, 3 and 5, are employed for clamping against the outer surface of each flange of each such stud, the stud overlapping margins of two adjacent panels, indicated at 15 and 16, respectively, in the drawings, the edges of the panels being spaced apart and in substantial parallelism, with the margins adjacent overlapping the face of the stud to substantial extents as shown. Disposed intermediate the parallel adjacent edge surfaces of panels 17 and 18 is a channel member generally indicated at 243, having a Web 21, side walls 22 and coplanar flanges 23 extending in opposite directions from these edges of the side walls 22 which are remote from the web 2%. The side walls 22 of the channel converge outwardly (away from the supporting stud) as may be seen most clearly in the cross sectional views. The flanges 23 overlie andengage elongated areas of the outer faces of the panel members 15 and 16 and it is by means of the channel Ztl and the securing device S associated therewith that these panel edges are securely clamped to the supporting stud it).

The web 21 of the clamping channel member 29, which is preferably a strip of substantial length, is provided with slots, one of which is indicated at 2d in FIGURE 1, and these slots are brought into register, in the assembly of the Wall structure, with the slots 14 in the flanges of the supporting studs so that a securing device S may be passed through aligned slots in web 24 and flange 1th: and positioned to firmly secure the web- 2% either in full contact with the outer face of the stud flange 10a, as in the case where the panel thickness is equal to the distance between the outer face of the flange 1th: of the stud and the inner faces of flanges 23 of the clamping member 26, or slightly spaced therefrom, as where the panels are of increased thickness, as shown in FIGURE 5. The web 21 of the clamping member 20 may be thus spaced somewhat from the outer face of stud 11 without sacrifice of rigidity or firmness, the securing elements S compensating readily for slight differences in panel thickness.

Each such element S conveniently takes the form of a metal clip shaped or bent from heavy round wire or, alternatively, from flat spring wire or other suitable material. The clip comprises a straight front section 30 and a back section designated 31 cf modified Z-shape integrally connected to one end of front section 3%, the back section 31 consisting of a curved section 31a, extending from said end and bending around an angle of a short straight sect-ion 316 converging into proximity of front section 30 and a terminal arcuate section 310 curving outwardly and away from section 36. The gauge of the round or flat wire from which the elements S are formed is preferably sufficiently great that the elements are strong and substantially rigid but are not so rigid that the front and back sections 3i and 31, respectively, may not be spread apart under the application of a considerable force thereto. As will be appreciated upon inspection of FIGURE 3 of the drawings, the securing element S after having been inserted through two registering slots 24 and 14 may be manipulated to draw the clamping strip 29 into tight engagement with the face of the flange Na of the stud, by pressing it downwardly until front section 30 bears against the outer face of web 21 of clamping strip 2% and back section 31 bears against the inner face of flange lira, whereupon the securing device is tightly held in the position to which it has been adjusted.

In order that the exposed portions of securing elements S may be concealed from view, there is provided for as sembly with the clamping channel 20 a molding strip which is indicated at M. This molding strip comprises a web portion 40 and integral flanges 41 which diverge slightly as shown in the drawings, particularly as shown in full lines in FIGURE 4, the molding strip being transversely resilient and the flanges 41 readily movable into the positions in which they are shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 4 by light presure applied exteriorly from opposite sides. Hence the molding strip may be readily assembled with the previously erected clamping strip 20 by inwardly pressing its opposite flanges and inserting the compressedstrip into the channel 20, its flanges then moving into full engagement with the adjacent flanges 22 of the clamping strip. The molding strip M is therefore frictionally retained in position with its web 40 substantially in the plane of the flanges 23 of the clamping strip, thus presenting to view a substantially continuous metal surface and hiding the securing devices S from view. No securing means for specifically holding the molding strips 40 in position are required, frictional engagement resulting from the resilience of the strip and its constant frictional engagement with the clamping strip being sufiicient.

The assembly means described is of utmost simplicity and efiectiveness. When completed it is strong, rigid and fireproof. It may be erected at small cost, may be utilized to clamp various types and thicknesses of wall board in final position, may be disassembled when desired, transported to a new location and reused. It is dust-proof and possesses every attribute necessary for a partition structure to be used in a home, office, warehouse or factory.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A readily erectable and demountable wall or ceiling construction comprising, in combination, a supporting stud having an elongated aperture therein, panels disposed with adjacent edges in parallel spaced relation, the inner 4 marginal surfaces of said panels engaging said stud, an outwardly opening channel-shaped panel retaining member disposed between the parallel panel edges and having an elongated aperture in the web thereof registering with the stud aperture, the inner surface of said web constacting said stud and the side walls thereof terminating in coplanar oppositely extending flanges which overlap and engage the outer marginal surfaces of said panels, said web and said flanges being of uniform thickness, an elongated generally U-shaped wire clip having a substantially uniform cross section the legs of which diverge over at least a portion of their length, such clip being adapted to be partially inserted through said registering apertures and by a longitudinal movement to be wedged into operative position with one of the legs thereof contacting the outer surface of said web over substantially the entire length of said one leg and the other contacting said stud, the web contacting leg being received within the depressed portion of said channel-shaped member defined by said web and side walls, and an inwardly opening channel-shaped molding member frictionally disposed within said panel retaining member and having the web portion thereof substantially coplanar with the flanges of said panel retaining member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,793,520 Siptrott Feb. 24, 1931 1,864,130 Gibian June 21, 1932 2,121,213 Small June 21, 1938 2,150,497 Fernberg Mar. 14, 1939 2,643,170 Vanderveld et al June 23, 1953 2,804,670 Barker Sept. 3, 1957 

